Tag: DEPT

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Global digital agency Dept has launched its ‘Metaverse Practice’, aimed at helping brands redefine the way they interact with consumers.

The new ‘Metaverse Practice’ includes around 100 crypto and blockchain developers, games builders, 3D artists and creators, virtual and augmented reality experts, and software engineers, who have pioneered innovative Web3 and metaverse experiences for clients. 

Dept said that for the past year, it has been at the forefront of Web3 innovation, creating a 3D virtual world called the ‘the Eurovision Village 2021’, which is a virtual experience brought together tens of thousands of visitors from across the globe in a unique experience to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest Rotterdam 2021. It has also teamed up with Journee to launch the Meta Festival, where over 4,000 people visited the Metapolis world to hear talks from digital pioneers. Moreover, Dept has launched an open-source, white-label solution called Algomart, for launching an NFT marketplace, built on top of the Algorand blockchain.

Taking the learnings from these projects, Dept has combined expertise from across its more than 2,500 team to launch its global ‘Metaverse Practice’, which includes expertise in blockchain technology, decentralised applications, AR, immersive experiences, and cryptocurrency and data, as well as a massive creative marketing power.

Max Pinas, Dept’s executive creative director, noted that over the last year they have gained a lot of experience with Web3 technologies to really get under the skin for how they can help their clients develop customer experiences as they have never seen before.

He further shared that brands will now have the opportunity to build fully immersive, 3D worlds from the ground up, and extend the customer experience into a whole new reality. 

“With our dedicated Metaverse Practice, we are able to build the bridge between the CMO and CTO. We see it as a creative opportunity akin to the first-ever websites; we’re at the dawn of a new digital age,” said Pinas. 

Dept is currently working with several global brands from fashion, entertainment, and commerce, as well as launching a number of new projects ranging from immersive experiences to NFT marketplaces in the coming weeks.

In addition, Dept has also announced that it will launch the world’s first 24 hours in the metaverse event in June 2022, connecting all corners of the globe in the Meta Festival. This event will bring together future-focused innovators, tech, brands, and people to a virtual event location called Metapolis, with hundreds of talks, music, and workshops, amongst others.

Singapore – Dept, a Netherlands-based digital agency has announced that it will be expanding to the Asia-Pacific region, marking it with the appointment of former Havas Group CEO Vishnu Mohan to assume the agency’s partner and chief growth officer role.

Dept, founded in 2015, is majority owned by Carlyle, a global private equity firm. Dept has recently acquired design and experience agency BASIC®️, as well as creative marketing technology agency Byte.

Through the market expansion, Dept said it will follow an acquisition-led growth approach to grow to 1,000 people and contribute 10% to global revenues by 2024. This will be complemented with a Singapore hub and a satellite team in Manila.

Meanwhile, Mohan, who will work closely with Dimi Albers, Global CEO of Dept, joins the agency after a 25 year stint with Vivendi’s Havas Group, where he was widely recognized as the key figure behind the launch and development of the group in Asia Pacific.

Speaking about his appointment, Mohan said that he looks forward to working with Albers and the teams, adding that they will be leveraging the agency’s growing client base and track record in the region to build a business that is ‘big enough to cope and at the same time small enough to care’.

“Dept is a very strong digital transformation agency with a rich tech heritage. Their integrated one-stop-shop principle of delivering tech, design, creative and performance with a simple structure, speed, clarity, and personal contact is why I truly believe it can make a difference in the APAC markets,” he said.

Meanwhile, Albers commented that a team on APAC that will work fully integrated with their teams across EMEA and the Americas will help them make an even bigger impact in the region, both for global clients and local brands. He added that with Mohan’s network, market knowledge, and growth mindset, they have found the right leader to boost their Asia journey.

“Over the last few years, we’ve delivered a variety of impactful projects in the Asia Pacific market for brands like Mizuno, Samsung, Weber, Fujitsu, and KLM. Our vision has always been to help our clients work with the best talent in the world, regardless of geography,” Albers concluded.